A Ray of Hope
by Dark Qiviut
Summary: She felt all hope was lost, that they would never return home. But despite the situation being very grim, she never gave it up. [One shot completed]


_**Disclaimer:** Digimon: Digital Monsters is copyrighted by Akiyoshi Hongo and produced by Toei Animation, Saban, and TOKYOPOP. The plot is the only thing made by me, and no profit is or will be made in any way._

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_**A Ray of Hope**

Sometimes, I wonder how I felt this way. Was it because I was scared? Was it because I was too overprotective? Or was it otherwise? It might be any one of them, but then again, I somehow doubt it.

Regardless, I now felt that this was to be expected, especially since I noticed crazy events happening in my head for some time. When I first saw Takato draw a Digimon in his notepad, I would have to admit that I was impressed with his artistic talents. Then again, in all the years that I had known him, he had a bright mind… although his intelligence was not as focused to schoolwork as it was with his leisure time.

Then, that night, while I was sleeping, I noticed something crazy going on in my head. The images were faint and mysterious. It sparked my interest, but I found them a little bit… disturbing. Nonetheless, I thought that this was a one-time event, so I put it in the back of my head. However, I did promise to keep a mental reminder if these dreams ever reoccurred.

And chilling as it was, the dreams returned, but not until I heard about the news about the Digimon battling at the Tokyo City Hall. After watching the news about the battle, I went to sleep, and I saw a little clearer distinction of the dream. What I saw were several monsters fighting each other, and that there were several humans. The figures were blurry, but I could faintly detect all their voices. They were all yelling, like they were screaming for help. However, before I could detect it, I heard a new voice, and it said two words: "Be brave." It gave me conflicting emotions. One was that I was confused, but the other was that I was scared. But what, and why did the dreams caused this?

Then, a few weeks later, I watched the news and saw several Digimon fighting in the Shinjuku area, and during the battle, I heard screams from three children. Those were the same screams from my dream. No, it could not have belonged to Takato, Henry, and a person named Rika. If they did, what was going to happen with them? Then, when I went to sleep, I heard words from the screaming people (as well as people I recognized as Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta), saying that they were going to leave for a place called the Digital World. Those voices made me jump my head up, and it made me start to cry. If it was Takato and his friends, I could not allow them to leave. I cared for them too much for them to go and risk their lives. It would be too painful to say goodbye.

At first, I saw a ray of hope when they broke a school rule and had to stay after class for detention. While I watched them writing what were supposed to be essays, I felt like shedding a tear. I was more than certain that the dreams that I had were connected to Takato and his friends. And this time, I was more than certain that it was going to be the last time that I will be able to see them in a while; if not… _ever._

Then, a few hours later, I read the potential essays, saw their goodbye notes, and ran up to them. I wanted to hold onto them as much as possible, but now I knew it was inevitable: They were going to the Digital World. I could not bear seeing them go, and when they disappeared, I ran back to my home and cried myself to sleep. It was like a part of my life was taken away from me.

Afterwards, I began to feel very depressed. The classroom felt very empty without them, even with the other students around. It felt very awkward and very gloomy, which was something that I was not used to. I was not able to concentrate that well, and I started to feel both disoriented and discouraged. Time seemed to slow down, and I was wishing for it to speed up so the whole ordeal would end. Even so, despite the discouragement of not hearing anything from Takato and the others, I had a small ray of hope that I would hear some encouraging news from them.

Unfortunately, the months came and went, and I started to lose the small amount of confidence that I had. The worry returned at a rapid pace, and I felt like giving up. I started to firmly believe that Takato and his friends were never coming back. When I told myself about the possibility, I started to cry again. What would happen if what I believed _was_ true? That I would never be able to see, talk, or even _hear_ them again? It was very painful for me to think about, and I cried myself to sleep again as a result.

Then, while I was sleeping, I had another dream. It was about Takato, Jeri, their Digimon, and the others, and they were on board this contraption. It was like that they had completed their mission and that they were heading home. Then, in the park, a light would brighten the city, and the children would walk away from the scene unscathed. When I envisioned that, my spirits soared, and I believed that they were coming home that night. Unfortunately, when I looked outside the window, I noticed nothing but darkness. Feeling gloomy and discouraged, I crawled back to sleep.

The following evening, after school was finished, I walked over to the Matsuki bakery to take care of some shopping; but I also wanted to ask them about the issue with Takato and the others that were in the Digital World. And when I was alone in the bakery, I did just that and asked them about Takato and what they thought about it. That was when Yoshie told me that she felt the same way. She felt that she was never going to see Takato again, that he was going to die there. However, she told me that Takehiro encouraged her and told her to not give up hope. That one day, Takato would return to the real world safely with the others. When I left, I thought about what she said, and it turned out to be a big boost of confidence for me. Her pep talk made me believe that Takato and the others will be all right and will return safely. Not only that, it made me carry a new ray of hope, one that made me believe in them.

And when I heard that Takato and the others arrived safely on that late November night, I could barely contain my tears; it was like a miracle came and brought the children home. That was when I sighed in relief; the children were home, and I no longer had to worry. But when I saw on the television screen that Takato, the Digimon, and his friends fight the red slime called the D-reaper, I felt disheartened, becuse the children were home, and they had to continue fighting. Nevetheless, I told myself that I should not give up hope and that I should tell myself that they would be able to fight and win the battle.

And when they won several days later, I smiled; not only for them, but also for myself. Earlier, I wanted to cling any possible memory of them to me, because I cared too much for them to leave. Now, although I still have flashbacks about them leaving my side for good, I know that I cannot let that hold me back and make me discouraged.

Perhaps, that was why I had these dreams of seeing the children fighting and entering the Digital World. It was not because I maintained something prophetic, although they _seemed_ to act that way. The dreams were there to tell me that I must never give up hope, no matter how bleak or impossible a situation might be.

As a result, I will keep these memories alive and maintain a ray of hope. Because I now know that if there would ever be another fight, I might not be beside Takato and the others by appearance, but I will always be with them by memory. And that is what will make me smile.

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_While it's blatantly obvious as to whose point of view this monologue is, for those who wonder, the point of view belongs to Nami Asaji. I felt that she is really underused - particularly as a central character - and that she needs some spotlight._

_Now I'll conclude by saying that if you like the story, read and review to tell me your thoughts. No flames, please, and I'll see you next time. _


End file.
